Monday/29-Apr-19: Today I listed all my kitchen projects that I could find and divided them into "quickies" that can be done in just a day or so, and "longies" that take some time to finish. One quickie, on the plan, is to make a galette des rois for next Kings' Day. That one starts with finding a nice fêve at a vide grenier this summer (rather than using one I already have). Have two longies in the mill for when the time is right, so maybe one of those will get done. Wondering if my goal should just be one of the longies?
Dinner was Four-Layer Polenta Casserole (Dreaded, p107), the layers being polenta; baked eggplant slices; a mixture of onions, garlic, oven-dried tomatoes, spinach, and herbs; and a final layer of polenta. Sprinkled some parmesan on top for the baking. Pretty good, especially with some tabasco.
For dessert, I used up some frozen cherries to make a kind of cherry crisp thing. It was pretty good, although my oatmeal is getting stale. Think I'll toss the rest of it.
Tuesday/30-Apr-19: Make some Spice-Rubbed Pork Loin, a recipe copied from a recycled cookbook. Delicious. Having a problem cooking it, though. After the appointed time, it wasn't done. But the meat thermometer said that it was more than done. A puzzle. I made half the rub, and used only about a third of it. Will freeze the rest. Good on pork, and probably on chicken or maybe even fish. Served with mushroom-flavored pasta tossed with garlic butter and chopped parsley. And steamed broccoli with shiitakes. No dessert needed.
Wednesday/1-May-19: Froze up gaboons of chicken stock this afternoon.
Dinner was a halfish dose of East-West Eggplant (BoldVeg, p136), except that I used all my eggplant on Monday, so I used zucchini instead. And good it was. Over brown rice. Mini ice creams for dessert.
Thursday/2-May-19: Shopping today.
Dinner was some lovely tuna steaks with charmoula marinade, barbecued, from the freezer. Served with polenta, Buttered Beet and Carrot Sauté (web), and Cucumber and Napa Cabbage Coleslaw (web). Both the salads were good. I didn't really measure anything for the coleslaw, just approximated. Ed thought it was too sour; I thought it was good. Some store-bought semoule au lait for dessert.
Friday/3-May-19: Off to Bordeaux today on a useless errand. (Ordered computer had been returned.) Our intended light lunch was more than expected so we didn't have the leftover quiche tonight. That moves to tomorrow. Tomorrow's planned meal moves to next week.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/4-May-19: Made One Perfect Loaf (recipe; web), a Romertopf bread from a book that I don't yet have. (It's on order.) Used up some T80 flour (stone-ground? partly whole wheat) which was two months out of date. Smelled okay, but the bread doesn't taste as wonderful as you'd expect. Nice texture though.
For our meal we had the rest of the butternut squash quiche, followed by a big salad.
Sunday/5-May-19: Used three quail from the freezer to make a half recipe of Roast Quail with Raisins (Quaglie Arrosti) (ClayCook1, p30). This was ok. Only some of the potatoes were done after an hour in the oven Not bad, don't need to make again. Served with some steamed green beans. Mini ice cream bars for dessert.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 4 #3 COOKBOOK: n/a for April, yes for May
Cookbooks of the month: n/a for April, Romertopf cookbooks for May
This month: #4 PASTA: no for April, no for May; #5 BREAD: no for April; yes for May; #6 GUESTS: yes for April, no for May
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
Monday, April 29, 2019
Monday, April 22, 2019
This week in the kitchen
Monday/22-Apr-19: Off to the Pranzac Foire aux Vins today with Cath, then home for a bbq. There was Best Grilled Chicken Thighs with Mustard and Tarragon (CI/jul18, web). Very good these were. And some Dilled Potato-Cucumber Salad (VT; MC; web), an old favorite. And some of Corinne's broccoli, steamed and topped with a bit of garlic-flavored oil and lemon juice. Some of the Postre de Mango for after.
Tuesday/23-Apr-19: Worked on the meal plan today. Somehow all next week was meat, meat, meat, and needed to be jiggled more than I would have liked.
Tonight's meal was Aubergine and Sweet Potato Thai Red Curry (web). Easy to do, edible but nothing special. Served over rice. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for dessert.
Wednesday/24-Apr-19: We meant to go to Bordeaux today, but the weather forecast was bad enough to keep us home. Bordeaux had incredible storms yesterday, while we had almost nothing.
Started a pot of chicken stock.
Dinner was a halfish recipe of Smoked Paprika Stroganoff (web). This is a pressure cooker recipe, easy, relatively fast, and tasty. For a starter, I made some Carrot and Apple Salad (Art, p26), although twice as much as stated for two people. It suggest serving with ricotta or cottage cheese. I had some fromage blanc needing to be used, so I did. I used a ring to assemble the dish, salad on the bottom with a creamy, wite topping. Picture worthy, but no camera was handy. Mini ice cream bars for dessert.
Yogurt on overnight.
Thursday/25-Apr-19: Yogurt on overnight, ha! Power went off at 9pm, returning about 3am. Dragged myself out of bed to go downstairs and restart the yogurt. Power off again about 9am for another six hours. I restarted the yogurt yet again, but can't imagine what it will be like and no one will be around to put it in the fridge.
Meanwhile we did our shopping. Bought another starter for yogurt. Before we left the store, the wind came up, making an enormous noise inside. As we were loading the car, it started hailing. Yipes! Apparently the same thing happened here. I went to ask a neighbor about the electricity and she had closed her shutters agains the wind and hail.
For dinner there was Asian Catfish Wraps (MC, web). Problem was that I thoughtlessly bought whole sole rather than filets, so we picked bones out of our wraps. Very tasty though. Some organic Gariguette strawberries and the rest of the fromage blanc for after.
Friday/26-Apr-19: Dinner was Spicy Pork Rolls with Satay Sauce (200Budget, p130). I've made the version of this with minted yogurt sauce with turkey scallops. This time I used veal scallops. One day I'll find pork scallops and remember to do this. It was yummy, including the satay sauce, which remained too thick in spite of extra coconut cream, but was really delicious. As a side there was Tumis Buncis (SriOwen, p195). Well, I more or less followed this recipe, but added carrots as described in Tumis Bunchis (MJFarEast, p175). Jaffrey uses more "real" spices, chilies, ginger, galangal, curry leaves, rather than powdered ginger and cayenne. Still, what I made was good. With plain basmati rice. HD mini ice cream cups for after.
Saturday/27-Apr-19: Really nice meal at a nearby restaurant this evening. Nothing happened in the kitchen.
Sunday/28-Apr-19: Chicken stock is still going. Need to freeze it up tomorrow.
Dinner was Gingery Squash Quiche (BoldVeg, p200; cookbooker). This was the best butternut squash quiche-y sort of thing I've had. Then a salad. Then a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: n/a
Cookbooks of the month: n/a
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: yes
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
Tuesday/23-Apr-19: Worked on the meal plan today. Somehow all next week was meat, meat, meat, and needed to be jiggled more than I would have liked.
Tonight's meal was Aubergine and Sweet Potato Thai Red Curry (web). Easy to do, edible but nothing special. Served over rice. A pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each for dessert.
Wednesday/24-Apr-19: We meant to go to Bordeaux today, but the weather forecast was bad enough to keep us home. Bordeaux had incredible storms yesterday, while we had almost nothing.
Started a pot of chicken stock.
Dinner was a halfish recipe of Smoked Paprika Stroganoff (web). This is a pressure cooker recipe, easy, relatively fast, and tasty. For a starter, I made some Carrot and Apple Salad (Art, p26), although twice as much as stated for two people. It suggest serving with ricotta or cottage cheese. I had some fromage blanc needing to be used, so I did. I used a ring to assemble the dish, salad on the bottom with a creamy, wite topping. Picture worthy, but no camera was handy. Mini ice cream bars for dessert.
Yogurt on overnight.
Thursday/25-Apr-19: Yogurt on overnight, ha! Power went off at 9pm, returning about 3am. Dragged myself out of bed to go downstairs and restart the yogurt. Power off again about 9am for another six hours. I restarted the yogurt yet again, but can't imagine what it will be like and no one will be around to put it in the fridge.
Meanwhile we did our shopping. Bought another starter for yogurt. Before we left the store, the wind came up, making an enormous noise inside. As we were loading the car, it started hailing. Yipes! Apparently the same thing happened here. I went to ask a neighbor about the electricity and she had closed her shutters agains the wind and hail.
For dinner there was Asian Catfish Wraps (MC, web). Problem was that I thoughtlessly bought whole sole rather than filets, so we picked bones out of our wraps. Very tasty though. Some organic Gariguette strawberries and the rest of the fromage blanc for after.
Friday/26-Apr-19: Dinner was Spicy Pork Rolls with Satay Sauce (200Budget, p130). I've made the version of this with minted yogurt sauce with turkey scallops. This time I used veal scallops. One day I'll find pork scallops and remember to do this. It was yummy, including the satay sauce, which remained too thick in spite of extra coconut cream, but was really delicious. As a side there was Tumis Buncis (SriOwen, p195). Well, I more or less followed this recipe, but added carrots as described in Tumis Bunchis (MJFarEast, p175). Jaffrey uses more "real" spices, chilies, ginger, galangal, curry leaves, rather than powdered ginger and cayenne. Still, what I made was good. With plain basmati rice. HD mini ice cream cups for after.
Saturday/27-Apr-19: Really nice meal at a nearby restaurant this evening. Nothing happened in the kitchen.
Sunday/28-Apr-19: Chicken stock is still going. Need to freeze it up tomorrow.
Dinner was Gingery Squash Quiche (BoldVeg, p200; cookbooker). This was the best butternut squash quiche-y sort of thing I've had. Then a salad. Then a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: n/a
Cookbooks of the month: n/a
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: yes
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
Monday, April 15, 2019
This week in the kitchen
Monday/15-Apr-19: We ate dinner while listening to the horrendous news as Notre Dame burned in Paris. Heart-breaking.
For dinner, Ed grilled Spatchcock Piri-Piri Chicken (web) with bricks. It was good, but the chili wasn't noticeable. For a side there was Caramelized Spicy Green Beans (web) and Clothilde Dusoulier's Perfect Roasted Potatoes. Both these were good. I skipped a beat and made some rice as a go-with, but I needed to make rice for tomorrow's meal, so it won't go to waste. Mini ice cream bars for after.
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/16-Apr-19: For dinner, I sort of made a 2/3 recipe of Chipotle Meatballs (web) with 350g of ground meat, but all the sauce. We ate all the meatballs and I've got some of the sauce to freeze. Served over linguine, followed by a bit salad. And chocolate easter bunny for dessert.
Wednesday/17-Apr-19: Dinner was Cajun Salmon Burgers (web), pretty yummy these were, and easy. Served with guacamole and sautéed veg (onion, garlic, broccoli, zuke) from the fridge. We had a pair of madeleines as we walked down to the potager and some chocolate easter bunny later.
Thursday/18-Apr-19: Shopping day.
Dinner was Fish in Ajillo Sauce (web), with lieu noir. Served with polenta (rather than rice) and some steamed broccoli that Corinne gave me this morning with olive oil, butter, and lemon juice. Good it all was. Before dinner we both ate a cornuelle that I got at the boulangerie. Nothing more needed.
Yogurt on overnight
Friday/19-Apr-19: Dinner was boudin noir (Bearnaise, whatever that means in this case). Planned it to use up the last of the Banana-Ginger Chutney, only to find that the chutney was moldy. Before it's time. Scrounged some other chutneys from the fridge. With some smashed potatoes and leeks. Followed by salad. Then some strawberries and ice cream.
Saturday/20-Apr-19: Dinner was a half dose of Pappardelle with Roasted Butternut Squash (web; cookbooker). This was easy and quite tasty. I meant to serve it with a salad, but forgot to buy another sack. But, it turns out that there was plenty of arugula in the dish itself. Ha, turns out I've made this before, using sorrel instead of arugula. Nevermind, it's good. Strawberries and ice cream again for dessert.
Sunday/21-Apr-19: Dinner was a half dose of Lamb Shanks Adobo (Sunset, p426; cookbooker). This was extremely good. Served with Los Tios Mexican Rice (TexMex, p163; cookbooker). I was thinking of making some plain rice with a bit of ground cumin, but bumped into this recipe, which was quite good and not too hard at all. And there was Ensalada de Ejotes—Sperziebonensalade met Feta (from a Mexican cooking course I took in Amstelveen). This was easy and yummy.
I used some mangoes that have been hanging around for a while to make Postre de Mango (from the same Mexicen cooking course). This was crushed cookies to make the bottom, topped with mangos puréed with condensed milk and fromage blanc. Quite sweet from the condensed milk, but not bad.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: n/a
Cookbooks of the month: n/a
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: yes
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
For dinner, Ed grilled Spatchcock Piri-Piri Chicken (web) with bricks. It was good, but the chili wasn't noticeable. For a side there was Caramelized Spicy Green Beans (web) and Clothilde Dusoulier's Perfect Roasted Potatoes. Both these were good. I skipped a beat and made some rice as a go-with, but I needed to make rice for tomorrow's meal, so it won't go to waste. Mini ice cream bars for after.
Yogurt on overnight.
Tuesday/16-Apr-19: For dinner, I sort of made a 2/3 recipe of Chipotle Meatballs (web) with 350g of ground meat, but all the sauce. We ate all the meatballs and I've got some of the sauce to freeze. Served over linguine, followed by a bit salad. And chocolate easter bunny for dessert.
Wednesday/17-Apr-19: Dinner was Cajun Salmon Burgers (web), pretty yummy these were, and easy. Served with guacamole and sautéed veg (onion, garlic, broccoli, zuke) from the fridge. We had a pair of madeleines as we walked down to the potager and some chocolate easter bunny later.
Thursday/18-Apr-19: Shopping day.
Dinner was Fish in Ajillo Sauce (web), with lieu noir. Served with polenta (rather than rice) and some steamed broccoli that Corinne gave me this morning with olive oil, butter, and lemon juice. Good it all was. Before dinner we both ate a cornuelle that I got at the boulangerie. Nothing more needed.
Yogurt on overnight
Friday/19-Apr-19: Dinner was boudin noir (Bearnaise, whatever that means in this case). Planned it to use up the last of the Banana-Ginger Chutney, only to find that the chutney was moldy. Before it's time. Scrounged some other chutneys from the fridge. With some smashed potatoes and leeks. Followed by salad. Then some strawberries and ice cream.
Saturday/20-Apr-19: Dinner was a half dose of Pappardelle with Roasted Butternut Squash (web; cookbooker). This was easy and quite tasty. I meant to serve it with a salad, but forgot to buy another sack. But, it turns out that there was plenty of arugula in the dish itself. Ha, turns out I've made this before, using sorrel instead of arugula. Nevermind, it's good. Strawberries and ice cream again for dessert.
Sunday/21-Apr-19: Dinner was a half dose of Lamb Shanks Adobo (Sunset, p426; cookbooker). This was extremely good. Served with Los Tios Mexican Rice (TexMex, p163; cookbooker). I was thinking of making some plain rice with a bit of ground cumin, but bumped into this recipe, which was quite good and not too hard at all. And there was Ensalada de Ejotes—Sperziebonensalade met Feta (from a Mexican cooking course I took in Amstelveen). This was easy and yummy.
I used some mangoes that have been hanging around for a while to make Postre de Mango (from the same Mexicen cooking course). This was crushed cookies to make the bottom, topped with mangos puréed with condensed milk and fromage blanc. Quite sweet from the condensed milk, but not bad.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: n/a
Cookbooks of the month: n/a
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: yes
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
Monday, April 8, 2019
This week in the kitchen
Monday/8-Apr-19: Lunch out today. Munchies for dinner ... the rest of our cheese stash, a terrine, carrot and bell pepper sticks, and sweets from the boulagerie, mini beignets and cannelés.
Tuesday/9-Apr-19: Lunch out again today. Then we took Hitomi and Rebecca to the train station. Alone again.
Wednesday/10-Apr-19: Leftover pork and scalloped potatoes for dinner, with some sautéed zuke and the remains of two bell peppers. Sprinkled these with the interesting spice that Hitomi brought. Hot stuff, that is—but good. Mini ice cream bars for dessert.
Finished the meal plan and list today. Have decided against Dreaded as cookbook-of-the-month, so will skip for this month. I'm enjoying reading the book, but not marking that many compelling recipes. I might copy one or two but I think this one is for recycling.
Thursday/11-Apr-19: Shopping today. I somehow missed picking up the list, so we made it up while we lunched. Didn't do half-bad. Somehow made it off without a cauliflower, which I had in my hands at one point, which put a dent in tonight's and Sunday's meal; also missed the cheddar cheese which was also for Sunday, so doing a replan for that day.
Dinner was tuna on sale, appearing as Spicy, Pan-Fried Fish Steaks Chettinad (MJFlavs, p195). Yummy, but I modified the recipe: it asked for 2-1/2 tablespoons of cayenne! I used much less than that, about a third. It was hot, but tolerable. Part of the missing cauliflower was supposed to be a side. Instead there was Gujerati-Style Green Beans (MJ1, p102) using some haricots verts that I'd forgotten were in the fridge. And some plain rice. Then some mini ice creams. Followed by a dog walk.
Friday/12-Apr-19: Dinner was Shrimp Scampi with Broccoli Orzo (web). I made the whole recipe with slightly less than half of the shrimp. Pretty good. Can't imagine serving four people with this. Then some ice cream and the year's first strawberries, gariguettes.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/13-Apr-19: For dinner, I made Yellow Split Peas with Spiced Yogurt (Greens, p100). Pretty good. I forgot to soak my split peas (not something I usually do) for two hours, so I poured boiling water over them and soaked for about 30 minutes. Tasty. Chocolate-covered madeleines for after.
Sunday/14-Apr-19: Busy day. Went to a charity vide grenier. Bought a Römertopf bigger than the one I have along with some other goodies. Think next month I'll do Römertopf recipes for my cookbook-of-the-month, since I have several books as well as the pamphlet that came with mine all relatively unused. Then we went to an excellent concert.
Dinner was quick and delicious, a half recipe of Fettuccine with Walnuts, Lemon and Herbs (web), which is apparently is from an Ottolenghi. Not your usual pasta dish. Followed by a very plain salad. And then the rest of our chocolate easter bunnies.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 4 #3 COOKBOOK: n/a
Cookbook of the month: n/a
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: yes
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
Tuesday/9-Apr-19: Lunch out again today. Then we took Hitomi and Rebecca to the train station. Alone again.
Wednesday/10-Apr-19: Leftover pork and scalloped potatoes for dinner, with some sautéed zuke and the remains of two bell peppers. Sprinkled these with the interesting spice that Hitomi brought. Hot stuff, that is—but good. Mini ice cream bars for dessert.
Finished the meal plan and list today. Have decided against Dreaded as cookbook-of-the-month, so will skip for this month. I'm enjoying reading the book, but not marking that many compelling recipes. I might copy one or two but I think this one is for recycling.
Thursday/11-Apr-19: Shopping today. I somehow missed picking up the list, so we made it up while we lunched. Didn't do half-bad. Somehow made it off without a cauliflower, which I had in my hands at one point, which put a dent in tonight's and Sunday's meal; also missed the cheddar cheese which was also for Sunday, so doing a replan for that day.
Dinner was tuna on sale, appearing as Spicy, Pan-Fried Fish Steaks Chettinad (MJFlavs, p195). Yummy, but I modified the recipe: it asked for 2-1/2 tablespoons of cayenne! I used much less than that, about a third. It was hot, but tolerable. Part of the missing cauliflower was supposed to be a side. Instead there was Gujerati-Style Green Beans (MJ1, p102) using some haricots verts that I'd forgotten were in the fridge. And some plain rice. Then some mini ice creams. Followed by a dog walk.
Friday/12-Apr-19: Dinner was Shrimp Scampi with Broccoli Orzo (web). I made the whole recipe with slightly less than half of the shrimp. Pretty good. Can't imagine serving four people with this. Then some ice cream and the year's first strawberries, gariguettes.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/13-Apr-19: For dinner, I made Yellow Split Peas with Spiced Yogurt (Greens, p100). Pretty good. I forgot to soak my split peas (not something I usually do) for two hours, so I poured boiling water over them and soaked for about 30 minutes. Tasty. Chocolate-covered madeleines for after.
Sunday/14-Apr-19: Busy day. Went to a charity vide grenier. Bought a Römertopf bigger than the one I have along with some other goodies. Think next month I'll do Römertopf recipes for my cookbook-of-the-month, since I have several books as well as the pamphlet that came with mine all relatively unused. Then we went to an excellent concert.
Dinner was quick and delicious, a half recipe of Fettuccine with Walnuts, Lemon and Herbs (web), which is apparently is from an Ottolenghi. Not your usual pasta dish. Followed by a very plain salad. And then the rest of our chocolate easter bunnies.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 4 #3 COOKBOOK: n/a
Cookbook of the month: n/a
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: yes
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
Monday, April 1, 2019
This week in the kitchen
Monday/1-Apr-19: A very old favorite tonight, Spring Day Skillet Supper, from my old GreenBooks. Yellow split peas, green peas, noodles, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, what could be better. And a salad. Then a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines. I'm stuffed.
Tuesday/2-Apr-19: Using up freezer stuff tonight. I stuffed globe zucchinis with chopped cooked beef, duxelles, brown rice, pizza sauce, onions, garlic, and whatever else I thought of. Baked all in the oven till it was more or less done. And some spinach gnocchi that were on sale. Finished off with a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each.
Wednesday/3-Apr-19: Dinner was Hoisin Chicken Breasts with Grilled Peppers and Onions (License, p199). This was pretty good, if a bit burnt when Ed got distracted from the bbq to set the table. Served with trio rice and a big salad. Some mini ice cream bars from dessert.
Yogurt on overnight.
Thursday/4-Apr-19: Shopping today. Whew, it was a big one. Have to get back on a cheap track next week.
Heard my first cuckoo for this year in the afternoon.
Dinner was Grilled or Bhuna Fish Steaks (Foolproof, p44) using tuna. Cooked under the grill, but it would have been better to do on a grill pan where you can watch the doneness. Served with Indian Mashed Potatoes (Q&E, p90) and steamed haricots verts tossed with some lemon juice and garam masala. Fished with store-bought riz au lait.
Friday/5-Apr-19: Made up a half dose of Banana-Ginger Chutney (VegPlanet, p44) to go with the foie gras we'll have as a starter on Sunday.
It was supposed to be this week's Dreaded day today, but after a day of house-cleaning (company comes tomorrow), I just didn't feel like it. I'll try to double up in the next couple of weeks. Ed went for pizza instead.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/6-Apr-19: We picked up Hitomi and Rebecca from the train today. Came home via the crafts show in La Rochefoucauld. For dinner there was Spinach Salad with Pears, Pecans and Feta (MDSalad, p28), an old travelers' favorite. Then some cheese. Then some cornuelles, first of the year.
Sunday/7-Apr-19: Started yogurt this morning, but didn't manage to do it early, so it will be after 23.00 when I can put it up.
For a starter tonight, we split a small jar of foie gras that Cath brought us, with some toasts, a toefje of salad, and Banana-Ginger Chutney. Then. Rôti de Porc au Jambron Cru (VPG, recipe), with French Scalloped Potatoes—Pommes de Terre Dauphinoise (BEFCC, p51) and steamed broccoli (with lemon juice and a Penzey salad sprinkle). Then more cheese. Then some store-bought chocolate mousse.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: no
Cookbooks of the month: The Dreaded Broccoli Cookbook
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: yes
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
Tuesday/2-Apr-19: Using up freezer stuff tonight. I stuffed globe zucchinis with chopped cooked beef, duxelles, brown rice, pizza sauce, onions, garlic, and whatever else I thought of. Baked all in the oven till it was more or less done. And some spinach gnocchi that were on sale. Finished off with a pair of chocolate-covered madeleines each.
Wednesday/3-Apr-19: Dinner was Hoisin Chicken Breasts with Grilled Peppers and Onions (License, p199). This was pretty good, if a bit burnt when Ed got distracted from the bbq to set the table. Served with trio rice and a big salad. Some mini ice cream bars from dessert.
Yogurt on overnight.
Thursday/4-Apr-19: Shopping today. Whew, it was a big one. Have to get back on a cheap track next week.
Heard my first cuckoo for this year in the afternoon.
Dinner was Grilled or Bhuna Fish Steaks (Foolproof, p44) using tuna. Cooked under the grill, but it would have been better to do on a grill pan where you can watch the doneness. Served with Indian Mashed Potatoes (Q&E, p90) and steamed haricots verts tossed with some lemon juice and garam masala. Fished with store-bought riz au lait.
Friday/5-Apr-19: Made up a half dose of Banana-Ginger Chutney (VegPlanet, p44) to go with the foie gras we'll have as a starter on Sunday.
It was supposed to be this week's Dreaded day today, but after a day of house-cleaning (company comes tomorrow), I just didn't feel like it. I'll try to double up in the next couple of weeks. Ed went for pizza instead.
Yogurt on overnight.
Saturday/6-Apr-19: We picked up Hitomi and Rebecca from the train today. Came home via the crafts show in La Rochefoucauld. For dinner there was Spinach Salad with Pears, Pecans and Feta (MDSalad, p28), an old travelers' favorite. Then some cheese. Then some cornuelles, first of the year.
Sunday/7-Apr-19: Started yogurt this morning, but didn't manage to do it early, so it will be after 23.00 when I can put it up.
For a starter tonight, we split a small jar of foie gras that Cath brought us, with some toasts, a toefje of salad, and Banana-Ginger Chutney. Then. Rôti de Porc au Jambron Cru (VPG, recipe), with French Scalloped Potatoes—Pommes de Terre Dauphinoise (BEFCC, p51) and steamed broccoli (with lemon juice and a Penzey salad sprinkle). Then more cheese. Then some store-bought chocolate mousse.
Progress on goals
This week: #1 BACKLOG: no; #2 VEG/FISH: 3; #3 COOKBOOK: no
Cookbooks of the month: The Dreaded Broccoli Cookbook
This month: #4 PASTA: no; #5 BREAD: no; #6 GUESTS: yes
This year: #7 PROJECT: no
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